Story of an Hour

Patrick McCoy
Johann
Hour 3
1/22/10
Story of an Hour

In the 18th century, people were treated very differently. If you were a woman, old, and unmarried you were considered an “Old Maid.” Women married to fit in, but suddenly most of their freedom was gone. We meet Mrs. Louise Mallard; she is married to Mr. Brently Mallard who is away at the time. She is informed that he was killed in a train accident, and she felt a sudden feel of freedom. A widow wouldn’t be insulted since they were married, but she finally had freedom. When she discovered her husband was alive, and nowhere near the train accident, she had a heart attack. I think this story has irony, but a tragic mode line.

Here we have a depressed woman name Louise Mallard. She desperately wants freedom, but she sometimes she actually loves her husband Brently. The only way she could be free is if you divorce, which basically ruined your reputation no matter how bad the marriage, or if she became a widow when her husband dies. Louise is informed her husband is dead from a train accident, she cries and sobs instantly! Later she goes upstairs and looks out the window to see new Spring Life. She’s far from sad; she has a sense of freedom. New opportunities rise up in front of her and she has gained power at last! Her fall is when her heart problem takes over. Turns out Mr. Mallard was far from the accident and was unharmed. She was so surprised she had a heart attack…and died. Hardcore Irony right there.

The mode-line is as clear as day to point out for a tragedy story plot. The plot of a tragedy goes like this. The main character’s world is in conflict and things aren’t going good at the moment. Next, there is a small rise to power when the MC has some control. For Mrs. Mallard her rise to power is when she is informed her husband is dead. She feels so free! Then, there is the flaw and the fall. The flaw of Mrs. Mallard was her heart problem. When her husband was alive, the heart attack took her life. This ends the mode line with death symbolism. That basically says right there, this is a definite tragedy.

There are lots of symbols in this story that can point out romance or comedy during Mrs. Mallard’s rise to power. When she goes upstairs after the news, she gazes out the window and notices clear skies with puffy clouds, new green spring life and the bright shining sun. All of these are symbols of romance and comedy. Romance symbols involve vibrant colors, the season of spring and new life!!! Of course in the end when she dies, that represents ‘death’ which can also be replaced by ‘death symbolism’ which means nobody actually died, but there was a symbol representing death itself. In this story there was an actual death.

So, from these examples you can tell that the “Story of an Hour” had many clues and hints trying to scream out to you. With these symbols finally shown, the Story of an Hour is definitely a tragic short tale.